Posted on 01/16/2016 9:18:45 AM PST by Isara
FORT MILL, S.C. — Ted Cruz, long reluctant to directly criticize Donald Trump, threw caution to the wind Saturday as he ripped his Republican presidential opponent as a fake conservative.
"Donald’s record does not match what he says as a candidate," told reporters before a national security forum here at a church, delivering an assessment of the onetime ally in the race that would have been unthinkable as recently as last week. "I recognize what Donald says on the campaign trail today is fairly conservative, but voters are discerning."
Cruz went on to respond to a serious of critical tweets earlier Saturday morning from Trump by questioning his judgment and temperament to be president. The senator suggested Trump's tweets were caused by a new poll that show him beating the survey-obsessed billionaire in a head-to-head match-up.
"That has got to drive him nuts, and I imagine it sent him out of bed this morning tweeting and tweeting and tweeting," Cruz said. "I think in terms of a commander in chief, we ought to have someone who isn’t springing out of bed to tweet in a frantic response to the latest polls."
"I think the American people is looking for a commander in chief who is stable and steady and a calm hand to keep this country safe," Cruz added.
Cruz also wondered aloud why Trump had reacted angrily to comments Cruz made a day earlier blasting the policies of New York Democrats. The two candidates have been tangled over Cruz's use of the phrase "New York values."
“It does raise the question of, 'OK, if you are offended at my pointing out how much the failed policies of Hillary Clinton and Andrew Cuomo and Bill de Blasio have hurt New Yorkers, then which of those policies do you agree with?" Cruz said. "Given the fact that for much of his life, Donald was financially supporting those politicians, writing checks to Hillary Clinton, writing checks to Andrew Cuomo, it’s a fair inference that he supports their policies."
Cruz added he was especially surprised that Trump would object to the idea of "New York values" because "he's the one who laid out this analysis" in a 1999 TV interview. In the interview with Tim Russert, Trump repeatedly attributed his liberal stands on some issues to the fact he is from the solidly Democratic Empire State.
Cruz continued to sketch a number of other contrasts with Trump, bringing up gun and property rights when pressed to detail policy differences with the billionaire. Asked to say where he differs with Trump on national security, Cruz flatly replied, "To be honest, I don't know what Trump's position is."
Cruz's remarks to reporters in Fort Mill represented the sharpest escalation yet in his rhetoric against Trump after months of refusing to attack the billionaire. Asked why he was now raising the Tim Russert interview, for example, Cruz suggested it all began with Trump's questioning of his eligibility to be president due to his Canadian birth.
“Well, it came up initially in response to Donald playing 'Born in the USA' in his rallies," Cruz said. "I made a quip that perhaps he ought to play 'New York, New York,' and Donald got very upset with that."
Cruz and Trump were set to cross paths later Saturday in Myrtle Beach, where they are both set to speak in the afternoon at a tea party convention.
If you have to post a video from 1999 of a guy people already know has shifted his position over the years, then you are going to end up with a bunch of “no kidding, Sherlock”.
When Trump can then show that stuff about the gay billionaires and the fundraiser last year, and have the same people say “What the hell is this about”? On top of that they are going to start asking Cruz what he will do to turn back gay marriage edicts, and he will have to then take a stance that is sure to disappoint as he has stated it isn’t one of his top priorities.
Then it’s still the advantage to Trump.
But you are not listening. Let me shout it even louder. Trump is not a conservative. Get it?! /s/
Poor Cruz...he’s going down just like Jeb and all the rest...
...needs to address Goldman Sachs and Citibanks loans and his meeting with the two guys in New York (on tape)...
LIVE BY THE LAWS THAT AMERICA WAS FOUNDED ON
GO.TRUMP.GO
Nothing says NYC values like Goldman Sachs. And no candidate is wedded to Goldman Sachs like Ted Cruz.
What a fraud.
Trump is a PRO American populist. Some if his positions are liberal but the ones I like are his positions on the economy, immigration(wall) and trade. The Whig Party has left me no other choice for Pres.
But, but, but ... we have God and truth on our side. You are not listening. I need to repeat myself, we... /s/
You’re not convincing me, or most of Trump’s supporters. Despite his faults, he is the only one out there who will take the fight to Clinton using her own tactics. If it wasn’t for Trump none of the others would have even brought up illegal immigration, and most would have avoided even saying “Islamic terrorism.”
Cruz, Cruz, Cruz.
Don’t take the bait please.
Trump never presented himself as a conservative. Trump offered to make a deal.
Your argument should attempt to show that Donald’s deal dynamic will still prove insufficient to get his agenda within the realm of what most of America wants, which is de facto conservative.
Of course then you should allow Trump to make a fair counter, especially if the point is not to personally win at any cost, but to bring America back to a winning stature.
good one
Ah, based on on the incoherence of his tweets and how much they read like his ADHD stream of consciousness “speeches”, I think he, and only he tweets from his account.
Plus he is too arrogant to let anyone else do it for him.
“The Trump supports going after Cruz over a clerical error for 1-2 personal loans, that he paid off, have no right to whine when Cruz goes after Trump for his past donations and policy positions which are based on Trumps own words.”
The problem for Cruz is that Trump socks with the other hand 5 times harder. The “whine” is the distraction.
Having mastered Twitter and other quick media, he sets the pace fast. Cruz saves his complaints for local newspapers and sympathetic AM radio. They dont get picked up by many, and they fade into the ether.
I actually like Cruz very much, but the Crudites are doing a wonderful job of taking him down. I hope his reputation can survive his followers. We need him.
And unlike Trump did not run straight into the dirt like Trump did with the “Trump Shuttle.”
Cruz calls trump a fake Conservative?? Wow; Talk about the pot calling the kettle black. Here we have Cruz slamming Wall Street while he takes money from Goldman Sachs and Citibank while his wife works for Goldman Sachs. That is what we used to call Hutzpah. He has to be the most arrogant and hypocritical candidate I can think of other than Hillary. I am glad he has finally been exposed as the fraud he is.
Chortle!
Trump won’t know what hit him.
Hey, Bernie Sanders, is that you?
Cruz is preaching in a church in South Carolina, but holding fundraising events in the apartment of New York City gays.
Can someone explain that to me? I doubt Ben Carson would do that, or Rick Santorum, or even Chuckle Huck.
Crudites?
That’s a term for sliced raw vegetables, as for a party plate. Has Veggie Tales entered the picture?
Bingo! Trump’s constant tweets shows what a thin skinned jerk he is. He dishes it out but squeals like a pig when anyone says anything negative about him. Just like another narcissist named Obama.
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